While many have specific reasons when starting an exercise program, the
original reason behind initiating an exercise program may not be enough
to sustain exercising long-term. New
research indicates that similar to yo-yo dieting, many who start
exercising have a difficult time sticking to exercising in a long-term
fashion. For example, individuals who purchased home exercise equipment
had a 73 percent increased likelihood they would start exercising as
compared with those who did not. However, these same individuals were
no more likely to be actively exercising at the one-year mark as
compared with those who had not purchased any form of home exercise
equipment. Thus, there may need to be reasons to maintain an
exercise program that differ from those reasons that got one started in
the first place. First and foremost and similar to successful weight
loss, exercising really needs to be viewed as a lifestyle change with
constant attention to maintaining the program. If unrealistic
exercising goals and methods are implemented early on, there is little
chance of maintaining this into the future. Exercise must be properly
planned and must be realistically integrated into one's lifestyle to
ensure long-term success.